The Sliver Star of Christmas
The Sliver Star of Christmas is the 18th episode of ShapeTales and the second holiday special of the series Plot The episode is set in London in 1883. Davis Eppythart (Jimmy the Sphere) and Nermal Thelps (Alvin the Cone) are jingle writers who decide to make their big break into musical theatre. While Nermal is content to see their work featured on billboards and in newspapers, Davis believes they can make a difference in crime-ridden London by staging a grand musical that will move the citizens to greater expressions of love. Their opportunity arises when Nermal’s Uncle Rectangle grants them the use of his theater on Christmas Eve. They plan the huge production of a new musical called "The Princess and the Piper". However, with only three days left until Christmas Eve, they still need a script. Steven Schlenk (Pa Square) (Sullivan's and Gilbert's middle names), their friend and an inventor, shows up in an experimental rocket car (a direct reference to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and delivers a box of light bulbs to them. Davis maintains that if their production is glitzy and bright (electric lights are still a novelty at this time and were first introduced at the Savoy Theatre for Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience) then their show will be a bigger hit and reach more people. He plans to integrate the lights directly into the scenery itself. Davis and Nermal also need to convince the city's premiere talent, Constance Angie Bickering (Madame Rhombus), to star in the lead role, and they need to get a commitment from Prince Barry Sedgwick (Mr. Diamond) to attend the premiere. While Davis and his assistant Jimmy Watson (Juan Cogsworth Semi-Circle) work on Bickering and the Prince, Nermal works to complete the script. Everything eventually starts coming together, and Davis starts feeling confident that their production will be a huge success. After noticing a flyer for a Christmas pageant planned to occur on the same night at a local church, Davis goes to investigate. He observes Edward Wilbert (Charlie Cylinder) preparing a low-budget children's play, and concludes that it poses no threat to their production. However, the pageant intends to feature an object called the "Sliver Star of Christmas". Wondering aloud about this as he leaves the church, Davis is overheard by Nonnie McNickPick (Lumiere Smiley). Nonnie, a historian, reveals that the Sliver Star of Christmas is an ancient relic that has not been publicly displayed for 89 years. He rushes off with great excitement to report the news, which promptly makes the front-page headlines the next morning. Faced with the prospect of losing their audience, and in particular the Prince, to the church play, Davis vows to make their own production greater and flashier. However, Davis and Nermal cannot convince Prince Sedgwick to attend their play instead of going to the church pageant. In desperation, the duo sneak into the church at night to steal what Davis thinks is the Star, but Nermal says looks like a chicken. They are caught, however, and narrowly escape from the aged "Noyer the Destroyer" (Biker Diamond) who was left to guard the relic. With the Star and the flashy lights, Davis is certain that "The Princess and the Piper" is now a guaranteed success. But during dress rehearsal, the excessive number of lights, which Steven had warned were a fire hazard, ignite the curtains. The theater goes up in flames, taking with it the Sliver Star of Christmas. As Davis and Nermal mope over this terrible turn of events, a police officer named Dusk ZeLouis (Melvin Cylinder) arrives with Noyer LaThinder to arrest them for stealing the Star. In the jail, they meet a prisoner, Joey Parker, who laughs at their efforts to spread love by means of an elaborate stage production. He claims that real love makes sacrifices to help others without expecting anything in return and is extremely rare. As if on cue, Edward and his father, Resnov Wilbert (Dad Smiley), arrive at the jail to release Davis and Nermal, having chosen out of love not to press charges for the theft of the Star. Davis is moved, and he expresses his desire to attend the pageant. However, the pageant is scheduled to start in ten minutes and there is not enough time to walk there. Just then, Steven arrives in his rocket car. He entrusts Millward to drive the vehicle and try to get them all to the church on time. After a harrowing ride fraught with collisions and near-misses, Davis, Nermal, Edward, and Resnov Wilbert arrive at the church just as the pageant is about to start. The play is a success, with Prince Barry and Miss Bickering in attendance. Davis finally learns that Christmas is not about glitz and grand productions, but about a baby in a manger, Jesus, who is the real "Sliver Star of Christmas". After the play, Noyer shows Davis and Nermal that the real Sliver Star of Christmas (the object) is actually safe and that the duo actually stole the Chicken of Damascus, which most experts consider to be a hoax. The episode ends with Davis and Nermal performing a selfless act at last: they bring cookies and a gift to Joey Parker in his jail cell, and Davis says, smiling warmly, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Parker". Moral *True love is putting someone else's needs above yours. *Don't take other people's stuff without their permission.